Sleepless

‘Two bundles and a fiddle case. A ballad about non-existent belonging. A sad story full of secrecy, melancholy and surrealism. The story is simple, almost biblical. Here, too, there are causes and consequences. And the question remains – is the cause of the sin well-grounded; can sin be justified? Also, whether the consequence, the judgement, is fair. The ‘sleepless’ of the title refers to the insomnia of the protagonist brought about by her persistent spiritual trauma.’ (Mari Mezei)

The plot of Sleepless after the first part from Trilogy by Nobel Prize winner Jon Fosse is focused on the tragic struggle between two young parents. They have unexpectedly become homeless: In desperation, the father, Asle, succumbs to animalistic instincts, and he ultimately commits several murders to save his sleeping wife, Alida, and their unborn child from their precarious situation. After Asle is executed for his crimes, the child grows up alone with her mother. Years later, Alida has lost everything: deserted by her son, she loses her mind and her ability to sleep.